Collections

Film and Media Arts Initiative

Nam June Paik Archive: Using the Collections

HOURS and ACCESS

The Archive is open by advance appointment.

ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

The core collection of the Archive came to American Art in 2009 as a gift from the Nam June Paik Estate. Additional items from private collections have since been acquired (and are welcomed) to augment and complement the original holdings.

The Nam June Paik Archive is comprised of two interrelated bodies of material:

The Paik Papers
The Paik Papers are currently housed within American Art’s Research and Scholars Center offices, which are located about one block north of the museum, at 750 Ninth Street, N.W., Washington, DC. The nearest Metro subway stop is at Gallery Place, which serves the red, yellow and green lines.

The Paik Object Archive
The Paik Object Archive is located at American Art’s offsite facility in Largo, Maryland, approximately 14 miles from the museum. The closest Metro subway stop is Largo Town Center, on the blue and orange lines, or driving directions can be provided upon request.

At both locations, visitors are accepted by advance appointment ONLY Monday through Friday, excluding all U.S. Federal holidays. Please contact us to establish the details of your visit.

We strongly encourage all patrons, particularly those visiting from out-of-town, to contact us for an appointment at least two weeks before arrival. It is important to note that at each location we can only accommodate 1 to 3 researchers at a time.

All materials are non-circulating and must be used onsite; materials are housed in closed stacks and will be delivered by staff to the work area designated for your use.

All patrons must register and show a current photo ID (college/university, driver's license, passport, etc.) on arrival.

Each patron will be given a brief orientation about using the resources and best practices for handling or examining archival materials.

Due to the heavy volume of inquiries anticipated we reserve the right to limit the length and number of visits per researcher to ensure multiple patrons may be served.

GETTING STARTED

To make an appointment or to send a query about our holdings, please contact us via post, email or telephone at: